Suspects in South Pasadena High School shooting plot could be charged Wednesday

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South Pasadena Police Chief Arthur Miller asking questions after press conference held by the South Pasadena Police department Tuesday, August 19, 2014 in connection to the two teens arrested that are suspected of planning a mass shooting that targeted teachers and students at South Pasadena High School.(Photo by Walt Mancini/Pasadena Star-News)

SOUTH PASADENA – Two South Pasadena High School students could be charged today for allegedly plotting a school massacre,

Police presented their case against the teens to the District Attorney’s Office on Tuesday afternoon. The suspects’ names haven’t been released because they are minors.

Officers arrested a 16-year-old boy and a 17-year-old boy on Monday after serving search warrants at their South Pasadena homes. No weapons were found but South Pasadena Police Chief Art Miller said the teens talked about a handgun a relative owned.

School officials on Aug. 14 notified police about the alleged plot after someone in the community tipped off the school.

Miller revealed details about the arrest and the investigation at a Tuesday press conference.

Through social media, he said detectives conducted an online surveillance of the two teens for three to four days. He said the teens allegedly identified three staff members or teachers they wanted to target as well as random students.

“They just want to kill as many people as possible,” Miller said.

He didn’t discuss the teens’ motives.

Miller said the teens were researching automatic weapons, handguns, rifles, knives, how to make bombs such as propane bombs, how to disarm people, how to overcome police.

The suspects were caught while allegedly still hatching their plot.

“This was at the very beginning of their plot to create the massacre,” Miller said. He called the plan “very, very viable.”

Miller said the suspects didn’t have a target date.

“But they had a very, very specific plan to carry their sick mission,” he said.

The FBI will be examining the suspects’ computers, according to police.

The teens remains in custody at a juvenile hall.

School starts Thursday at South Pasadena Unified School District. Police and city officials said there will be more police patrols at the schools.

Ruby Gonzales started working for the company in 1991. Since then she has written about cities, school districts, crimes, cold cases, courts, the San Gabriel River, local history, anime, insects, forensics and the early days of the Internet when people still referred to it as the "information superhighway." Her current beat includes breaking news, crimes and courts for the San Gabriel Valley Tribune, Pasadena Star News and Whittier Daily News. When not in crime reporter mode, she frequents the remaining bookstores in the San Gabriel Valley, haunts craft stores or gets dragged to eateries by a relative who is a foodie.